Human Rights

Human rights

Sport and human rights

When practising sport is not a free choice

Elite athletes and sports players have to begin training early - in most cases, before they are considered old enough to make their own decisions. This means children are vulnerable to exploitation by competitive parents or coaches.

Equally, because of poverty or unavailability of sporting facilities, some children who wish to take part in sport are unable to.

In response to problems like these, the following Bill of Rights for Young Athletes was suggested by the Institute for the Study of Youth Sports at Michigan State University. They say a young person has these rights:

• Right to participate in sports
• Right to participate at a level commensurate with each child's maturity and ability
• Right to have qualified adult leadership
• Right to play as a child and not as an adult
• Right of children to share in the leadership and decision-making of their sport participation
• Right to participate in safe and healthy environments
• Right to proper preparation for participation in sports
• Right to an equal opportunity to strive for success
• Right to be treated with dignity
• Right to have fun in sports

from Guidelines for Children's Sports, Marten and Seefeldt, 1979

Similar rights have been suggested for adult athletes. These could be needed in countries where their government might put them under undue pressure to compete.